“I used to rock & roll all night and party ev-ery day. Then it was every other day. Now I’m lucky if I can find one night a week in which to get funky.” – Homer Simpson
Everyone loves the Rolling Stones. It’s also a fair bet to say that everyone loves the animated antics of the family Simpson. Yes, Homer likes to rock out to the likes of BTO, Grand Funk Railroad and to a lesser extent, Starland Vocal Band. Plus, who could forget the episode in which Homer and half the male adult population of Springfield attend the Rock Camp with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards?
Few will argue that in previous years the quality of The Simpsons episodes has dwindled, giving us a rare nugget here and there. Thusly, the recent output over the last decade from the Rolling Stones has consisted mostly of greatest hits and live packages (1997’s Bridges to Babylon and 2005’s A Bigger Bang being the only studio releases). This got me thinking.
When the Simpsons began their life, they were nothing more than a bit of filler on Fox’s The Tracey Ullman Show. Eventually, the filler got its own slot and since, Ullman has become a mere footnote in Matt Groening’s world. Had it not been for this launching pad, we would never know the colorful antics of Lenny and Carl. In contrast, Brian Jones formed the Rolling Stones with a pair of high school friends, was kicked out after years of drug problems and suffered a “death by misadventure” weeks later in July of 1969. The Stones obviously continued without him and became household names.
In the Beginning / The Singles
In the early days of The Simpsons, it seemed as though the focus was mostly on Bart. Even the program’s marketing fell around putting Bart’s picture on t-shirts and the like. But around the fourth season, Homer would make himself known as the true star of the show, having complete episodes revolving around his antics and schemes. Bart is the Jagger to Homer’s Keith, the frontman and the truly scandalous one. Though Jagger and Bart were always worthy of headlines, it would be something like Richards snorting his dad’s ashes mixed with coke, or Homer constantly crashing the family car (that he always seems to have the income to fix). To a lesser extent, Marge acts as the Charlie Watts of the family, standing by the group with pursed lips. Lisa could resemble Ron Wood, though only when she unintentionally drank the water at Duff Gardens. Overall, it is the dynamic of the father-son duo that fuels the fire on The Simpsons, and it will always be the Glimmer Twins at the helm of the Stones.
The Simpsons obviously started out rough, with Dan Castellaneta’s Homer altering from a Walter Mathau impression to the voice we know and love. When Jagger was a teen, he bit off the tip of his tongue playing basketball and his voice changed forever. The early clip-episodes of the Simpsons that appear on Ullman are not unlike the early UK singles the Stones released. As the sitcom’s popularity grew in the first few seasons, so did that of the band in the late sixties. Let It Bleed could be the equivalent of The Simpsons’ sixth season, which holds arguably their finest episodes. “Lisa’s Rival” (guest starring Wynona Ryder) is by far the most quotable episode, with Homer selling sugar on the side. Each show is equivalent to a hit single from the Stones, packed with quotes and guests. Bleed was also a knock at The Beatles’ Let It Be, and ¾ of that fab four have appeared animated and yellow. But it’s the epic closer “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” that is most fitting, as it features a choir and many intricate parts. The season six finale is the milestone (and to this date, only cliffhanger) “Who Shot Mr Burns?” episode. With so much detail put into the clues, it was the most carefully crafted episode yet.
Old News and Broken Homes
Eventually (sometime after season ten) The Simpsons began to lose its steam. The guest stars felt forced, the situations felt awkward and the choking of Bart became redundant. The mania had died off, but people watched the re-runs daily (and still do). People still get jazzed when they hear “Start Me Up” and “Satisfaction” on classic rock radio, just like when they see the episode where Millhouse calls himself “Thrillhouse”. The new product is good, but not like the classics. The Stones suffered in the same way through much of the 1980s, with Steel Wheels and Undercover having few hit singles, The Simpsons seasons would be hard pressed to produce more than a few great episodes.
But people do leave families. Bill Wyman was with the Stones for decades before leaving the band in 1993. He married a 14 year old girl. Brad Bird left The Simpsons after many years as well, and he got an Oscar for directing The Incredibles. Mick Taylor would leave the stones in the mid seventies, but various recordings he worked on would later appear on compilations and whatnot. He would promptly be replaced by Ron Wood, who remains with the band to this day. Conan O’Brien was a writer/producer on The Simpsons from 1991-93 (giving us the classic “Marge vs The Monorail”) but would leave to host Late Night soon after. While he credits The Simpsons saved him from a slump in his career, the Stones have been a stepping stone for more than a few great guitarists.
Groups of Memories
The Stones have always released compilations, the first being Big Hits in 1966 and the most recent being 2002’s 40 Licks. The Simpsons have always released compilations of episodes, everything from space themes (2005’s Bart Wars) to their respective season sets. These sets are for the casual fan, and most everyone at heart is at least a casual fan. But the die hards are the ones that pay the big bucks, as the most recent Stones tours have been something like $500 a ticket. That, and this summer we were finally treated to The Simpsons Movie, which easily made back it’s estimated $75,000,000 budget in the opening weekend. Why would you pay for something that you can get for free (on TV or the radio?) Because they’re the same, they hold nostalgic memories and we love them dearly. It blows my mind that the Hullabalooza episode was in the summer of ’96, and that the summer prior was when I saw the Stones on their North American tour. I’ve grown up with both of these dysfunctional families, and though at their hearts they are spoiled billionaires, they have given me years of entertainment.
One has to wonder though, why is there such a love of this four-digited family? Is it because we see ourselves mirrored in their everyday lives, or as an escape? Can we turn off our brains and lose ourselves in the lives of the kids and kiddos of Springfield? Is it the same with the glamour of the Stones, the infamous sexual encounters with super models and teenage singers? They all get away with things that we always wished we could. Essentially, the Simpsons are the Stones of the animated world… and they will always be there for our us, in one form or another.
“And that’s the end of that chapter.”
